Mark folded his arms and shivered terribly as he strolled around the park. It was extremely cold on that winter day, but Mark thought that it would be okay for him to walk around in the cold with no proper winter clothing on as the park was very close to where he lived.

Truth to be told, Mark hates wintertime. He absolutely detested it.

Other people might think that it was odd that he hated wintertime, but Mark wasn’t like other ordinary human being. He wasn’t like them.

Maybe he would have liked winter better if his father had allowed him to be out playing with other kids when he was younger during winter, but was he ever allowed to do so? Of course he wasn’t. Mark was often told that he shouldn’t mingle with those of lower status than him.

Mark never had it easy as a child.

When he was six, his beloved mother passed away. When he was eight, his childhood friend left. When he was ten, he discovered that he was homoual.

It was horrible how he had to keep his uality a secret.

However, out of all the events that had happened, Mark thinks losing his mother was the worst thing that had happened. Especially because his father seems unaffected by her death.

The only reason Mark was out in the cold was because he had been reminded of his deceased mother who really loved that season.

“Why do you like winter?” Mark had asked when he was younger.

“It is a very beautiful season,” his mother had replied with a twinkle in her eyes.

Mark scoffed as he dug his foot into the snow. Ironic, isn’t it, when something you love ends up killing you. After his mother’s death, Mark’s upbringing became hell-like. His father was always reminding him that the Tuans does not accept anything that is lesser than perfection.

Aim for nothing but perfection.

By the time Mark turned 19, he was at the brink of insanity. Throughout 19 years of living, 3 has been spent going through rehabilitation. Mark had been diagnosed with a few mental illnesses, but even rehabilitation didn’t stop his father from forcing him to master all sorts of things in life.

“You’ll be fine, Mark,” his father had said.

“Medication will make you feel better.”

Mark chuckled as he played with the bottle of anti-depressant pills in his hands, a sadistic smile on his lips. Indeed, it made him feel better. Indeed.

Mark re that snowy night with only one thought in mind. With that one thought haunting him, Mark quietly entered the freezing water in the bathtub.

“Maybe I should die the same way.” A small giggle escaped between his lips.

He has finally lost every ounce of sanity that he had left.

Jinyoung still remembers what Doctor Wang had told him a few days ago – that there was a possibility Mark could have forgotten a piece of his past, considering the coldness of the water and how his head was submerged in it for a long time. Global Amnesia, as it is called.

It was also the day after Jinyoung got to know of Mark’s severe condition that he was informed that he wouldn’t be taking care of Mark anymore.

Jinyoung was furious.

When he demanded an explanation from Doctor Wang, all he received was a phone call from Mr Tuan, who specifically told him to stay away from his precious son. Mr Tuan told him that he believes that Jinyoung had been influencing Mark in a bad light.

With the hostile tone that he was using towards Jinyoung, Jinyoung realised something.

Even if Mark had forgotten Jinyoung, his father certainly hasn’t.

He was, after all, the person who tore their friendship apart.

Jinyoung wanted to see Mark for one last time before he stops taking care of him, and Doctor Wang had reluctantly agreed - but things don't always go the way you want them to.

“He’s not in his ward,” Jinyoung hissed into the phone. Doctor Wang, or Jackson, as he would like to be called, groaned in response.

“He was unconscious, with IV tubes connected to his body, I- how the hell did he woke up in his severe state?”

“How would I know?” Jinyoung snapped back in return.

“Look, Jackson, I’ll go and search for him. You don’t need to worry about him.”

“What do you mean I don’t have to worry? Jinyoung, Mark is insane. You’ll never know what he’ll try to do next. Jump off a rooftop? Kill himself?”

“Rooftop? The rooftop,” Jinyoung muttered under his breath as realisation dawned upon him.

“Jinyoung, you don’t think he could’ve went to the rooftop right?” Jackson’s wary tone broke Jinyoung out of his thoughts. Without bothering to answer, Jinyoung hung up and advanced towards the lift of the hospital.

Please don’t die.

Just as he had thought, Jinyoung saw Mark sitting at the edge of the rooftop, his legs dangling. Jinyoung was alarmed by the thought of Mark falling. His heart drummed while his head throbbed with overflowing negative thoughts.
 

“Come here, Jinyoung.” This time, it was Mark’s rough but oddly soothing voice that broke him out of his thoughts. As though he was set to follow the latter’s commands, he walked to where Mark was, hugging his own figure as the coldness seeped into his body.

It was still wintertime, after all.

“Were you that worried?” A chuckle left Mark’s chapped lips.

“Why would I be?” Jinyoung retorted softly. It’s okay to tell a white lie, right?

Except if it’s to Mark, of course. “Don’t bluff, Jinyoung. You’re my childhood friend, of course you would be worried about me, right?” Mark laughed slightly, swinging his legs freely.

"I thought you-"

“Mark Tuan has been taught to be great at memorising since the age of five, Jinyoung. Mark Tuan the prodigy wouldn’t easily lose his memories. It takes much more than that.” Then Jinyoung noticed something else.

Unlike Jinyoung, Mark was barely shivering from the cold.

“Mark, aren’t you cold?” He asked softly.

“The heated liquid did me good. I feel warmed up, but I doubt it would last long. I wonder who discovered me in the bathtub. Probably one of the maids, huh?”

Strangely, although Mark was talking to him, it felt as though Mark was talking to himself.

Then Mark’s eyes started to tear up. “Do you know how my mother died, Jinyoung? It was because of winter. She’s not one to stand the cold for so long, you know. Winter killed her.”

Jinyoung wanted to tell Mark that he was being silly, that winter didn’t kill her on purpose, that there many reasons as to why his mother had died, but he kept silent at the sight of Mark crying.

“I want to die the same way, Jinyoung. I want to be together with my mother. But now that someone has saved me from winter killing me, I want to fall, Jinyoung.”

Mark had started trembling, and it frightened Jinyoung a little - though little was an understatement.

He crouched down beside Mark, reaching out to hold the other’s hand. Jinyoung was surprised at its’ coldness.

“Mark, please don’t do this.”

When Mark didn’t reply, Jinyoung enveloped the other into a warm embrace, rubbing smooth circles into his back. Mark let out a small hiccup as he slowly pulled himself out of the gentle embrace, rubbing at his eyes before facing Jinyoung again.

“Jinyoung, do you trust me?” He asked as he clutched onto Jinyoung’s hand tightly.

“Of course I do,” Jinyoung replied in a whispering tone.

“Then trust me that everything will work out fine for you.”

Before Jinyoung could do anything, Mark had already released his hand and tipped his body forward, falling face-first off the rooftop of the tall building.

“, Mark!” Jinyoung exclaimed in utter shock.

Once upon a time there were two childhood friends,

He was scared for the other but the other was already broken.

One wanted to fall so badly, while he already did.

And when the other fell, he fell again.

This time

They’ll never come back.

But what he didn’t know was

That the other fell twice too.

"I've been yearning to fall for a long time now."

(!) LAST PARAGRAPH EXPLANATION: About the last paragraph, there is a word play on the word 'fall.' One means to literally fall, while the other means falling in love. The paragraph talks about how Mark wanted to fall to death while Jinyoung had fallen for him. Then when Mark actually falls to his death, he follows suit (kills himself too), which was why I wrote it as 'he fell twice.' And unbeknownst to Jinyoung, it was also Mark's second time falling (which meant he has also fallen for Jinyoung).

A/N: And that is it! I'm sorry if you're disappointed with the ending, but don't worry, I'm writing drafts for an alternative ending. Just comment down below if you'd like one below! How was the story? Do upvote and comment if you liked it! Loves x

If you want to talk to me, you can do so at twitter! @KUNPIM00K